Monday, March 30, 2009

The edges are blurring

Truly, the edges between urban and rural are blurring. I spent some time on the phone today providing comments on a proposed ordinance revision that would allow beekeeping in Minneapolis. They are using some concepts they employed when putting their chicken ordinance in place.

I just returned from my acupuncture appointment a little bit ago, and there was a message waiting for me from my friend James who lives around Lyndale and 44th in South Minneapolis. He is an archaeologist, and spends a lot of time outdoors, observing. I trust his observations. I returned his call, and he told me that while filling his backyard bird feeders around 7 pm, he flushed a bird off his compost pile. He described it for me as being about a foot long, with a bill almost as long as its body, a dumpy looking grassland-type bird, with short tail and rounded wings. Yup, a woodcock was poking through his compost pile. James is hoping that the bird may be nesting there. Wouldn't that be sweet? A timberdoodle nest in South Minneapolis. That might be just the place for my beehives if the ordinance passes in time this Spring.

3 comments:

MarkN said...

It is interesting how rural and urban are slowly melding. That's one of the reasons we try to emphasize habitat at bird-banding programs. Sort of a "you too can have these wonders of nature in your backyard" presentation. I hope James' bird stays around!

My mom has a Ruffed Grouse calling her backyard home right now. Not drumming yet...

MarkN said...

Please do, friend beegirl, drop a line. I'd love a cuppa, but don't know how to contact you other than semi-anonymous comments. Help, I'm lost on the InterTube high seas!

RuthieJ said...

That would be sweet! I've never seen a woodcock and would love to find one in my backyard someday (did have a ring-necked pheasant last week though)